New 986 Unusable out of the box

[BubbaBlades]

After years of trouble free service from my 5" 986 Pro Series revolver I decided to buy a 2 1/2" Performance Center companion.

I dry fired the new 986 as part of my initial function checking and I was pleased with the 4# single action and 10# double action.

Things changed when I put in a moon clip filled with snap caps. The hammer would not cock single action and the cylinder would not rotate double action.

I replaced the snap caps with empty 9mm cases and the problems continued.

I removed the moon clip and noticed blood on the cylinder. I also noticed blood on two of my fingers.

The cause of both the revolver not functioning and my cut fingers was 7 sharp burrs on the back side of the extractor.

I put band aids on my fingers and stoned the burrs on the extractor. The revolver started working in both single action and double action but the actions were much poorer than those on my 5" 986.

I continued to stone the remaining parts of the burrs until they were smooth to the touch. The revolver now worked fine.

I called S&W customer service and informed them of the problem. They were going to send me a shipping label but I informed them that I had resolved the problem and my call was to let them know that they have a major quality control issue and no gun should ever leave their company with this kind of issue yet alone their top of the food chain model.

Final note: This problem was not detectable in my checking the gun out at the dealer due to it only happening when the moon clip was used.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

Sorry to hear of your problems. Glad you worked it out.

Usually a thread will have some longevity and usefulness when it contains usable information without the anger.
Cannot tell if this is more of a rant then an PSA but nonetheless.

 

[Lou_the_welder]

BB,
I've had years of great shooting with my 986+ 5". At times shot it the most. Love my gun.
Sometimes bad guns slip through the cracks. They build thousands- tens of thousands per month, per year, per model.
Even the new Colts coming out are giving problems.
You were the lucky one.

 

[505Gibbs]

It makes one wonder if the proof check uses the moon clip or not??

 

[Sevens]

These guys are lame and evidence suggests that they have no plans to get better. Because of that, I’d be happy if they simply changed the name of their company. If they called themselves something else and the S&W brand were retired, I would call that an amicable resolution.

 

[armorer951]

Unfortunately, another example of guns being shipped that have not been thoroughly inspected. Keep in mind the importance of your "final" inspection, prior to purchase......the company is missing some glaring issues that should be discovered and remedied by them, prior to the gun being offered for sale. Sadly, I'm afraid this will negatively affect both potential future sales, and the bottom line.

 

[Narragansett]

PC's are supposed to be the best of the best. Hand tuned, and hand fitted. Baloney! The PC quality and craftsmanship IMO is oversold.

Yeah I get it, we only hear about the bad ones, but for my liking we hear about too many of them

Just my .02

 

[Sevens]

PC's are supposed to be the best of the best. Hand tuned, and hand fitted. Baloney! The PC quality and craftsmanship IMO is oversold.

Yeah I get it, we only hear about the bad ones, but for my liking we hear about too many of them

Just my .02

You don't have the full picture of the branding of the PC.

The fancy logo is only marketing today, the actual Performance Center doesn't exist and hasn't since roughly 2009-2011 or somewhere in there. The original and real Performance Center was created in the early 1990's and one of their first tasks was to take over and finish up the last of the S&W Model 52-2 "38 Master" target pistols. From there they began creating without question THE uncontested, indisputable finest handguns ever to come out of Springfield since the Registered Magnum.

I urge you to get your hands on some of the guns the Performance Center built and shipped before operations were ceased.

The PC logo and name means odd features and a higher price tag today and little else. Anything post 2011 with the PC logo on it is simply a production gun and nothing special went in to it's manufacture. And the ones we see today are littered with the same attention to detail as everything else that S&W ships.

It makes me sad.

 

[Narragansett]

"""The PC logo and name means odd features and a higher price tag today and little else. Anything post 2011 with the PC logo on it is simply a production gun and nothing special went in to it's manufacture. And the ones we see today are littered with the same attention to detail as everything else that S&W ships."""

OK, I stand corrected I guess. However, we are saying pretty much the same thing. I am sure that I am not the only person that shares the misconception that PC is something special.

Thanks for the info

 

[Narragansett]

****** """From hand cutting to fine tuning for precision, Performance Center firearms are top performers. Products from the Performance Center are the ultimate expression of old-world craftsmanship blended with modern technology.

Feature-rich and enhanced for better performance, our firearms maintain production line integrity. Whether you’re shooting a pistol, revolver, or rifle, you can be sure your Performance Center gun is made with a close attention to detail for your best shot yet.*****"""

The above wording is right off the current S&W website. This would lead someone( me) to think that I am getting something a cut above standard generic production line manufacturing

 

[Sevens]

Oh you are on the right track for sure — S&W sells this (scam) and some folks buy in to it. All I’m trying to say to you and to others is that pre-2011 S&W Performance Center was genuine “lighting in a bottle” and while the PC of today (UGH) is a sad prostitution of a once great name and logo, I myself genuinely don’t want to see you and other enthusiasts miss true modern greatness in the guns of the real and now former Performance Center simply due to your quite accurate assumption that the PC stuff shipped today is pretty much just gaudy, differently-featured product shoved out the door in a frightful hurry with (seemingly) zero final check and obvious shoddy QC.

Though I love my S&W revolvers (mostly from the 80’s & 90’s), my real passion in handguns and in S&W are on the pistol side, so my deep familiarity with the REAL and elite true Performance Center guns is on the pistol side, many will agree that they made some fantastic PC revolvers also. I hope that you get a chance to see some of the guns the actual PC and the artists who worked there put out.

 

[Narragansett]

Oh you are on the right track for sure — S&W sells this (scam) and some folks buy in to it. All I’m trying to say to you and to others is that pre-2011 S&W Performance Center was genuine “lighting in a bottle” and while the PC of today (UGH) is a sad prostitution of a once great name and logo, I myself genuinely don’t want to see you and other enthusiasts miss true modern greatness in the guns of the real and now former Performance Center simply due to your quite accurate assumption that the PC stuff shipped today is pretty much just gaudy, differently-featured product shoved out the door in a frightful hurry with (seemingly) zero final check and obvious shoddy QC.

Though I love my S&W revolvers (mostly from the 80’s & 90’s), my real passion in handguns and in S&W are on the pistol side, so my deep familiarity with the REAL and elite true Performance Center guns is on the pistol side, many will agree that they made some fantastic PC revolvers also. I hope that you get a chance to see some of the guns the actual PC and the artists who worked there put out.

Armed with those words, I will keep it in mind and check it out. I have 1-1992 revolver and everything else is 1950 to 1980, but I will keep your window of stated greatness in mind. Thanks

 

[H Richard]

I doubt current 986's are done in the Performance center. The original ones, but once established probably go into regular production. Mine is marked "Pro Series", but not Performance Center.